Axial roller bearings are provided in different applications to carry axial loads. In some applications, it is advantageous to stack multiple roller bearings in order to increase a load carrying capacity and speed capability of the axial roller bearing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,523,453 to Loeschner et al. (“the '453 Patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,787 to Meier et al. (“the '787 Patent”) disclose axial roller bearings that include two tiers of rolling elements.
The '453 Patent includes multiple disks that form bearing races and are held together by bolts. The '787 Patent also includes multiple disks that form bearing races which are loosely held together by a sleeve. While these designs allow for multiple tiers of roller bearings, they do not allow for a roller bearing that is both compact and securely held together, which is advantageous for both shipping and installation.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an axial roller bearing that overcomes other drawbacks of the prior art.